spiral
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spiral
- /ˈspaɪɹəl/ Canada, US, New Zealand
- /ˈspɑɪɹəl/ Australia
Rhymes with -aɪɹəl
Where it comes from
From Middle French spirale, from Medieval Latin spiralis, from Latin spīra, from Ancient Greek σπεῖρα (speîra, “wreath, coil, twist”).
noun spirals
-
A curve that is the locus of a point that rotates about a fixed point while continuously increasing its distance from that point.
Similar: swirl
- A helix.
- A self-sustaining process with a lot of momentum involved, so it is difficult to accelerate or stop it at once. My beloved friends and family who sustained and grounded me as I fell into the rabbit hole of this project or down the spiral of new parenthood.
- A section of track that forms a circle and crosses over itself, used for gaining height in mountainous territory.
adjective
- Helical, like a spiral. The formation of tornados and water-spouts is very probably identical with that of dust-storms and "devils," viz., a sudden disturbance of the vertical equilibrium of the atmosphere, where by an upward rush of air is generated, which rapidly becomes spiral.
verb spirals · spiraling · spiralling · spiraled · spiralled
- To move along the path of a spiral or helix. The falling leaves spiralled down from the tree.
- To cause something to spiral. You need to learn how to spiral a ball.
- To increase continually. Her debts were spiralling out of control.
- To decline mentally. She spiralled into a deep depression.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: helix, helical, voluted, gyrate, coil, coiled, volute, coiling, turbinate, whorled, whorl, corkscrew, circle, round, midst, pattern
Translations
Every language
noun geometry
| Español | espiral |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 나선형 naseonhyeong |
| 日本語 | 渦巻 uzumaki, 渦巻線 uzumakisen, スパイラル supairaru |
| 中文 | 螺線 /螺线 luóxiàn |
| हिन्दी | सर्पिल sarpil |
| Português | espiral |
| Français | spirale |
| Deutsch | Spirale |
| Italiano | spirale |
| Ελληνικά | έλικα élika, σπείρα speíra, σπείρωμα speíroma |
| Русский | спира́ль spirálʹ |
| Tiếng Việt | xoắn ốc |
| العربية | لَوْلَب lawlab, بُرْغِيّ burḡiyy, حَلَزُون ḥalazūn |
noun helix
| Español | hélice |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 나선 naseon |
| 日本語 | 螺旋 rasen |
| 中文 | 螺旋 luóxuán |
| Français | hélice |
| Deutsch | Helix |
| Italiano | bovolo |
| Ελληνικά | έλικα élika |
| Русский | спира́ль spirálʹ |
adj helical
| Ελληνικά | ελικοειδής elikoeidís, ελικοειδές elikoeidés, σπειροειδής speiroeidís, σπειροειδές speiroeidés, ελικωτός elikotós, ελικωτή elikotí |
|---|---|
| Русский | спира́льный spirálʹnyj |
verb to increase continually
| Français | spiraler |
|---|---|
| Italiano | aumentare vertiginosamente |
Talk about this word "spiral." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/spiral. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. spiral. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/spiral "spiral." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/spiral.Cite this
@misc{spiral_2026,
title = {spiral},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/spiral},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
